Tabi'atstani clothing
Tabi'atstani clothing refers to the clothes worn in Tabi'atstan in ancient and modern times. It varies widely by region and time period, and whilst traditional clothes are not typically worn in urban areas in the modern era, they are preserved in texts, artefacts, and other arts. History Imperial Tabi'atstan During the Imperial era of Tabi'atstani history, high fashion items were typically only available to the upper class. Most members of the lower classes would have been unable to purchase such items due to their high price, and in some states there were laws regulating what citizens of different social classes were allowed to wear, such as in the Empire of Great Liaotang where yellow was reserved for the clothing of the Emperor. Among the Persianate states of Tabi'atstan, both men and women wore baggy trousers known as "salvar". Clothes originally came mainly in black or white for practical reasons of heat dispersion, although with urbanisation and the abandonment of nomadic lifestyles, other pigments were eventually used as well. In the Russified provinces of Poseleniskaya and Kalengelsk, traditional Russian garments were worn by the peasantry, whilst the upper classes mainly followed the fashion trends of Europe. Both provinces are cooler in temperature compared with most of the rest of Tabi'atstan; Poseleniskaya has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), whilst Kalengelsk has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). This allowed for more varied designs in clothing, specifically for coats and other outerwear. The city of Qal'eh Manar contained people wearing numerous different styles of clothing, owing to its many concession areas. Early USSRT With the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics of Tabi'atstan, the policy of the communist government was to make fashion items available to the general populace to dispel the notion that socialism led to poverty. Furthermore, citizens were expected to be able to be able to discuss luxury products even if they were unable to procure them, as a sign of the cultured nature of the Tabi'atstani people under socialist rule. In both these aspects, Tabi'atstani policy towards fashion emulated that of the Soviet government's under Stalin. In 1927, the Centre for the Development of the New Tabi'atstani Attire was formed in Qal'eh Manar to design truly socialist and Tabi'atstani clothes for mass production to fight Western capitalist trends. By the late 1930s, official views on dress had relaxed, with women being encouraged again to wear more feminine styles and conventional views on fashion prevailing. The state faced difficulties in the postwar era as it had to deal with a population that had caught a glimpse of the relative abundance in Krakozhia and the Laltofian states and that had correspondingly raised expectations. Citizens did not even need to leave the country to see Western styles, as demobilised TRA conscripts as well as the Strategic Reacquisition Brigades brought back numerous trophies, with the former sometimes selling a portion of their wares to state second-hand shops. In 1945, the Qal'eh Manar House of Fashion launched its first fashion show for the general public, and when factories failed to put the designs into production, the Ministry of Light Industry launched a state-wide inspection in 1947 and 1948 which checked output both for quality and for fashionableness. Cold War During the Great Tabi'atstani Purge that began in 1956, President Lyudin denounced fashion as bourgeosie, but this view was retracted following the end of the purge at the end of 1959. Following the chaos of the purge, traditional garments gained popularity in Tabi'atstan, with many Tabi'atstani designers looking at traditional clothing designs for inspiration for new clothes. To a certain extent, these styles have remained relevant up to the modern day, where they are sometimes worn in formal contexts. By the mid-1960s, under the rule of Fyodor Kozlov, fashion had been accepted in Tabi'atstan as a form of art rather than a bourgeois pastime. In particular, state-sponsored fashion schools admired the style of Coco Chanel, seen as an example of timeless and simple sophistication without excess. In the 1970s, the traditional Karakul hat saw a brief revival in popularity, particularly among party elites as a sign of higher political status. With the rise of Rong Jiawang in the leadership, ideological standards for fashion were dropped nearly completely, and the era saw a revival of elaborate clothing. Despite official disapproval of obsessions with Western fashions, Tabi'atstani tailors and dress makers still looked primarily to the West for inspiration, with Western fashion magazines becoming highly prized, and tailors with such magazines were viewed as the true authorities on what was fashionable. Indeed, state industries themselves began to produce clothes according to Western fashion trends, with the first state production line for jeans opening in 1973, and technology and licenses bought to produce Dutch Mackintosh raincoats and West German Adidas running shoes respectively. Other clothes that began to appear in Tabi'atstani stores during the 1970s were thick-heeled shoes and knee-high boots, mini-skirts, flared trousers, and long-collar shirts. Those who could not afford or find such desirable products often took to sewing or knitting their own clothes. Modern fashion Overview Tabi'atstan is a secular state, and has no laws regarding hijab or other religious clothing. However, from the 1930s until the early 1960s, the government actively discouraged the wearing of hijab and the veil, and by the 1960s many Tabi'atstani Muslim women had chosen to wear Western style clothing and give up the veil. Nevertheless, clothing such as the chador and manteau are still quite prevalent among women in Tabi'atstan. Chadors are mostly worn by Tabi'atstani women of the Islamic faith, although they are by no means limited to the ultra-religious and conservative. In reality, the chador is common among women both rural and urban, and regardless of the level of adherence to religious beliefs. There are two main types of chador in Tabi'atstan; the ubiquitous black chador and the patterned chador, which is traditionally worn only indoors in cities but is increasingly become a piece of outdoors clothing as well. Of increasing popularity, especially among younger generations, is the waistband chador, similar to those worn in Qajar era Iran. Whilst ready made clothing became the norm after the establishment of communist rule in 1925, there are also numerous tailors throughout the country (with the number increasing since the Tajdeed reforms of 1984) and tailor-made clothing is not considered unusual, albeit more expensive. Men's formal wear in Tabi'atstan typically consists of a Zhongshan suit (appropriated from post-revolutionary China) with long trousers. A variation commonly seen in Tabi'atstan has a Western style open dress shirt collar rather than a high buttoned up collar, due to the high temperatures prevalent in much of Tabi'atstan. Western suits are sometimes worn as well, although they are comparatively uncommon. Ties are worn extremely rarely, except at weddings. Due to Chinese influence since the 8th century, hanfu (a term encompassing all pre-Qing dynasty Chinese clothing) became a component of traditional Tabi'atstani clothing, albeit mostly confined to the Yingzhou area. Traditional hanfu is very rarely worn in the contemporary period, except for the qipao dress (almost exclusively in the Chinese Republican-era and modern styles), mostly favoured by Tabi'atstani-Chinese women of the upper class or political elites as formal wear. Hanfu is also worn by priests of Chinese folk religions and Daoism. Russian influence on Tabi'atstani clothing includes the usage of the ushanka fur cap (part of the winter uniform of TRA soldiers) and valenki boots, as well as the spread of other European clothing styles. Specific styles See also *Culture of Tabi'atstan Category:Tabi'atstan Category:Tabi'atstani culture